“I’m in the middle of a lot of beautiful stories.”

“It’s all about relationship and working with really beautiful people…”

A newspaper in Canada, the St. Catharines Standard, recently featured our very own Erin Wilson talking about her work with us in Iraq. Erin has lived in Iraq for two years, and for the past year, she’s been a member of our team, sharing beautiful images and stories of those you’ve helped save.

Not every story is easy to witness. “I do see a huge amount of heartbreak,” Erin told the St. Catharines Standard.“But at the same time I’m in the middle of a whole lot of really beautiful stories playing out.”

Here are a few of the stories Erin has shared over the past year:

Building Classrooms as Incubators for Peace“Even as a child, centuries of history are laid on your shoulders—a weight far too heavy for a young one to bear. Before learning multiplication tables many children learn that they are ‘less than’ because of their culture, their faith, or their race.”

Benghazi Is a Place—Not a Scandal“We think about Libyan families who live through the chaos of civil war and still push to find care for their sick children. We think about small children with big heart problems. We think about amazing Libyan doctors and nurses who work and study hard to serve their patients in the best way possible.”

ISIS Won’t Keep These Kids From School!“Parents want to give their children a better life than they had. Being displaced only increases that desire. The moms and dads we meet learned the painful lesson that everything they worked so hard for—a family home and land, a business, and stability—can all be taken away by guns and bombs. But there is one thing that can’t be taken: education.”

You can also watch Erin’s videos from last year’s Remedy Mission to Libya on our Vimeo channel.

Stories like these cut through common stereotypes and images we have of those labeled “enemies”—or those who are just different from us. These stories demonstrate the inherent power and dignity of each person. They show how each of us can be part of something beautiful.